The present invention relates generally to carriers for removably retaining articles therein, and, more specifically, to such carriers formed from a folded flat web of flexible material.
Frequently, it is desirable to store various small objects such as computer disks, photographs, tape cassettes and index cards in portable packages or carriers for transport or storage. Various prior devices exist for that purpose, including hanging file disk pockets, hanging pockets, and 3xc2xdxe2x80x3 diskette viewer folders from Globe-Weis of Atapco Office Products Group, St. Louis, Mo. However, such conventional containers may be deficient in certain circumstances.
Hanging file pockets, add-on pockets and the like are typically open-ended. Therefore, disks and other objects placed into the pockets can fall out, particularly if the pocket becomes inverted in use or transport. Some prior devices appear to respond to that difficulty by making the pocket more rigid and closely dimensioned to the object to be carried so as to grip the object better. Unfortunately, such devices have a tendency to be more difficult for the object to be inserted into and removed from, often requiring the users to employ both hands in the effort.
Many prior carriers were also integrally formed with or permanently secured to an underlying support, such as a folder, ring binder or documentation package. When the object is to be removed from the package, a separate, additional carrier has been employed. Also, each such package has typically employed a carrier specialized in dimension and materials which is particularly adapted to that package type alone. Thus, even where the carriers have been removable, efficient collection and storage by users of carriers from diverse packages has been inhibited.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved carrier for storing and transporting a small object or article. Other objects include the provision of a carrier which:
a. is inexpensive and convenient to manufacture and assemble;
b. is durable and protective of an object inserted therein,
c. permits an object to be readily inserted and removed therefrom for repeated storage therein;
d. is reusable and detachable from its initial packaging;
c. can be easily attached to or integrated into the design of various packages; and
f. securely retains an object once deposited therein.
These and other objects of the present invention are attained by the provision of an object carrier formed from a folded web of flexible material having an enclosed pocket defined thereby regardless of the insertion of the object and a slit opening to that pocket which is biased open. The pocket is preferably formed by retaining one portion of the web in bowed relation to another portion of the web, and a third portion can be employed to overlay the bowed portion as a cover. The web may be integrally formed as part of the underlying package and/or detachable therefrom.
The present invention provides the carrier from a substantially flat web of flexible material which is folded and assembled to define a pocket space and an over-pocket space for retaining at least one object on three sides or aspects. A cover panel may also be formed from a fold in the web to overlie both such spaces to retain the object therein from above and across its face. A portion of the web may also be used for attaching the carrier to another body or structure.
Especially preferred embodiments include a portable carrier which may be attached to a variety of surfaces, and which includes a single piece body, cut and scored for manual assembly from a unitary blank of suitably sized semi-flexible sheet material such as paperboard, which has an interconnected front panel, back panel, top panel and cover panel. The back panel has a fastening slit which interlocks with a locking tab and lock notch arrangement extending from the fastening edge of the front panel along with a first over-flap and a second over-flap that cooperate to hold the carrier in its folded shape when the front panel is folded over the back panel. The cover panel is then folded to overlie the front panel and thereby retains an object deposited into the carrier""s pocket space from above and across the object""s exposed face. A strip of adhesive or other attachment device is attached to the back panel so that, when the body is folded to form a carrier, the carrier may be attached to another article, such as an interior surface of a file folder. When the carrier is attached to an interior surface of a file folder, closure of the file folder impinges the overlying carrier cover panel to hold the cover panel in a closed position. Once attached in this way to a file folder, the carrier provides a secure storage and transport device for objects deposited therein, while also permitting quick and easy, one-handed access to the object retained. The nature of the arrangement permits standardization of carriers across a variety of applications and easy reuse and removability of the carrier.